Box Score


Collegeville, Pa … Junior second baseman Scott Kelly (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor-North) and sophomore right-hander Brendan Kelly (Butler, NJ/Butler) led The College of New Jersey baseball team past Ursinus College 13-5 on Thursday afternoon.
 
The win put to bed a four-game skid for the Lions (4-6), who can now look forward to a four-game homestand at George Ackerman Park beginning tomorrow (Friday).
 
The right-handed hitting Kelly wasted no time in making a statement in the teams' return north, leading off the game with home run to left field. That sparked a four-run first inning, followed by three runs in the second frame. Kelly would finish the game with three hits, three runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases.
 
On the mound, Brendan Kelly (1-1) tossed six solid innings to earn his first victory of the season. He scattered seven hits and struck out three, leaving with the game well in-hand at 9-4. Freshman Benito Gonzalez (Perth Amboy, NJ/Princeton) pitched the final three innings to capture his first collegiate save. Gonzalez allowed just three hits and an unearned run, inducing six ground ball outs.
 
While Scott Kelly set the tone in the opening frame, the Lions received production on offense up and down the line-up. Every starter was credited with at least one hit with the exception of freshman Jacob Dewitt (Florence, NJ/Florence) and he had a hand in three runs. The reigning NJAC Rookie of the Week walked twice, scored twice, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
 
Senior Jimmy Ruzich (Verona, NJ/Montclair Kimberly Academy) and junior Michael Murphy (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) each had three hits, a pair of doubles, and three RBIs. Ruzich scored four times and even swiped the first base of his career. (He is now a perfect 1-for-1 in that category.)
 
Freshman Anthony Cocuzza (Abescon, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) rapped out three hits and drove in a pair, while senior Mike Galeotafiore (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) also banged out two hits. Galeotafiore now has 167 career hits, two shy of former teammate Chris Esperon '10.
 
Holding a 9-4 lead entering the seventh inning, TCNJ put the game out of reach with three runs in the top of the frame. Cocuzza and sophomore Joe Dispoto (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) led off with back-to-back singles and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kelly. Dewitt scored Cocuzza with a sacrifice fly before Ruzich knocked in Dispoto with a base hit. Murphy delivered a double to score Ruzich and the Lions stretched the lead to 12-4.
 
Ruzich capped the scoring with a double that scored Kelly, who had ripped a two-bagger to start the inning. TCNJ leadoff batters reached base safely in seven of the nine innings. They also manufactured six, two-out RBIs.
 
The Lions will look to build on a positive day when they host Haverford College in the Sunshine Opener at George Ackerman Park tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. They return to action at home on Saturday, March 17 when they square off against Elizabethtown College in a double-header starting at 11:30 a.m.